How long do we need to wait to reapply for the same group that has rejected us before?
I am an MBA associate who has been with the firm for over a year. I am looking to move laterally because I am not happy about my deal exposure. I’ve got interviews here and there from some banks I really like but always get cut after the first round interviews, which are mostly behavioral. The feedback I’ve got is that I don’t have enough deal experience. I’ve been trying to work on it internally but I have little control over staffing. I still keep getting interview opportunities every now and then. My question is: I understand next spring will be the busiest recruiting time. I am afraid if I apply now and get rejected, once I have a better resume next year, they won’t consider me because I was passed before. Should I continue applying, or pause and focus on getting more deal experience internally first? My group does have some M&A deals but they are concentrated on one or two A2As. So it’s not like if I wait till next year I can magically build a stunning deal record. I feel it’s like the chicken and egg problem now.
keep applying. a first round cut for a lateral associate is not a strike that follows you - most banks barely track first round rejects from a few months ago, recruiting teams turn over, and 'we passed in the fall' almost never blocks a spring reapplication if your story is stronger.
the feedback is the thing to focus on. 'not enough deal experience' after a behavioral first round usually means you didn't talk about your deals with enough depth, not that you failed some deal-count threshold. an associate who can walk through one deal cold - the client's situation, why the structure, where it almost died, what you personally did - beats one who lists five deals they barely touched.
two practical moves: get onto the next live m&a deal in your group even in a partial role - tell the staffer directly you'll take the ugly work. and learn the deals your group already closed well enough to speak about them, nobody checks whose name was on the staffing email.
waiting until spring doesn't buy what you think. if the deals sit with one or two A2As, your april resume looks like today's resume plus staleness. apply now and treat each first round as reps.
Repellat necessitatibus ut officia illum vel qui sint illum. Ut in minima esse amet a placeat. Provident esse facere voluptatibus ducimus aut.
Pariatur pariatur est sint quos dignissimos aspernatur. Sed mollitia eum provident asperiores suscipit et. Ipsam a autem neque nesciunt vero in doloremque. Ut quis iusto optio sunt aut. Fuga nihil magni aut maiores maiores officia.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...